After three fine wins in the qualifying section, Sorensen's confidence was up. However, France's Stephane Robert made his superior world ranking position -- 108 compared to 293 -- count on the scoreboard with an emphatic 6-2 6-1 success after one hour and 11 minutes.

Robert broke the Irish player twice in the opening set, and then another early service break in the second ensured that there was going to be no way back for the Stuttgart native.

Robert possessed too much heavy artillery for Sorensen, with his ability to put his opponent in defensive mode from an early stage in most of the rallies proving a decisive factor in the outcome of the contest.

Sorensen can take some comfort that he was in august company in the losers' enclosure, with top seed and world No 8 Robin Soderling, who beat Roger Federer last week, crashing out to 100-ranked American Robby Ginepri on a 4-6 5-7 scoreline.